Nothing to Do?
Flower Mound Youth Produce Popular Rap Farce
By Cécile Satin
Contributing Writer
Courtesy Photo
Scene from the satirical rap video "Flo Mo" by the Flo Mo Gangstas
Two Flower Mounder filmakers have been rocking myspace.com with a music video called "Flo Mo." It’s not their first video, but it is their first big hit. Brought to myspace.com viewers by their “We’re Bored Records,” video director Parker Severns and his accomplice Andrew Jernigan created a satirical rap about Flower Mound teens and their perception that “[They’ve] got nothing to do.”
It’s hilarious and it works. The video has generated well over 40,000 hits. It is being talked about on many blogs and is circulating via e-mails all across the nation.
Parker and Jernigan can hardly believe it. They are slowly turning into the rock stars of Flower Mound. Even going to the movies has become an adventure, they say jokingly.
“We weren’t trying to get a huge audience but we knew it would touch home to a lot of kids; everybody knew at first what we were talking about,” Parker said as he is interrupted by a fan entering Starbucks, where Parker was being interviewed for this article.
“I loved your video,” said Flower Mound resident Amy Donaldson. “It is really funny and it is a big deal on [myspace.com] right now. It’s cool and portrays Flower Mound quite well, like the fact that everybody hangs out at Starbucks.”
All smile from the unexpected compliments; Parker said fan encounters happen at least five times a day now.
Dressed like rapper wannabes with bandanas humorously wrapped around their heads, Severns’ and Jernigan’s 18 partners in crime display tight T-shirts around big muscles, skinny frames puffed up by thick hoodies, the expected bling-bling and colorful sunglasses.
They take viewers on a tour of Flower Mound’s landmarks and popular places where the youth hang out – such as Parker Square Starbucks, Taco Bell and several parking lots – Severns and Jernigan’s crew shake their bodies, rapper style but not so smooth, making the video an enjoyable farce.
Each Flo Mo Gangsta wrote the lyrics they sing on screen, sometimes improvising as the camera rolled on. The music however was written in couple of weeks by Severns.
Jernigan said the video would probably not have been that big of a hit without singer Drew Nebrig, whose powerful voice leaves you gasping and hoping that she will sign up on American Idol so the Metroplex can have another idol to cheer for.
“Drew was the icing on the cake,” Jernigan said. “Her singing really made [the video] sound professional. Her voice is awesome.”
The three met during drama class at Flower Mound High School. It was there where their talents blended into videos written by Severns, and later, Jernigan.
Now in their 20’s, they are still pursuing their artistic aspirations. Nebrig majored in vocal performances at the University of Texas and is transferring to Penn State University where she will be studying musical theater. Severns and Jernigan are now studying Radio, Television and Film at the University of North Texas. Severns will be transferring this fall to the University of Texas. Neither have yet taken classes in cinematography.
“We are still taking our core classes, we have not had any classes at all about movie making,” Jernigan said. But a long list of short films and music videos of different genres from the two friends shows potential and artistic confidence.
But those who watch the video are not only full of compliments they are also full of questions. They want to know who these talents are and most importantly if they really “tagged” the walls of Marcus High School with “Flo Mo Gangstas” in bright purple.
“No, it was a special effect in Photoshop,” Parker said. “But it turned out all right.”
“Actually, we were afraid for some time that someone may actually do it for real,” Jernigan added.
Severns was honored in 2005 at the International Student Film Festival where he won Best High School Comedy with the short movie Welcome to My Life.
Flo Mo will probably not be up for an MTV award, but it is making it big on the Web.
Severns’ and Jernigan’s hopes are that the video will tell Flower Mound youth that they live in a very fortunate place.
“This video is a good example of the kids’ misinterpretation,” Severns said. “It’s almost like a satire that we have indeed a lot to do here … we don’t live in a ghetto, it’s clean and it’s a great place to live in. And sometimes we take it for granted.”
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